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Gluttony: It may all be in the genes

By Father Dennis Meinen
View from the scooter

Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste

How did your Christmas meal go down? A really sophisticated glutton will be like the energizer bunny and overeat however many courses the host or hostess has planned. Now I found someone who explains and justifies why the “over-indulger” over indulges. Listen to this! Okay, so you turn into a glutton the instant the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas goose lands on the table. But don't be too hard on yourself -- scientists say it may all be in the genes.

Research has already shown that we tend to eat 10 percent more, or about 200 calories per day, from October through December.
Now scientists at Georgia Tech say the reason could be genetic, nature's way of forcing us to build up our fat reserves for the winter months.

"We schedule Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays at this time because this is when we want to overeat," says researcher Dr. Juan de Castro. He based his conclusions on a study of more than 250 pairs of twins who lived and ate apart, which indicated genetics affected all aspects of eating behavior.

"Genes dictate not only the amount of body fat a person has, but also how much they want in a particular situation and how much they eat while they are there," De Castro says. "So genes are not only influencing behavior, but they also seem to be indirectly affecting the environment."

So, there you have it. We’re just getting ready for winter, and that’s the story I’M STICKIN’ TO!

Of course we could pray this prayer:
To Resist Overeating
Dear God, right now, I surrender to You my temptation to binge, to rebel, to misuse the food
You've blessed me with. Fill me instead with Your Spirit and grace and grant me the power
and will to STOP indulging when I am no longer hungry. Thank You that, by Your Spirit, within me, I have the ability to resist the urge to overeat today. Amen. - Heather Kopp